- Date
- August 29, 2010, 12:32 local (16:32 UTC)
- Place
- Yadkinville, NC
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N888GKKilishek George T RV-8
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Hard landing
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 11, 2011
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20100829043389A
- Case key
- 77112
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot's inadequate flare, which resulted in a hard landing.
Findings · 2
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
According to the pilot, he was conducting touch-and-go practice takeoff and landings at his home airport. During approach for the first landing, he noted that the flight controls felt less responsive than normal and that the airplane was in a nose-high configuration. The airplane approached the runway at a high descent rate and touched down hard in a level attitude. A postaccident examination by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed substantial damage to the right wing spar. The pilot stated that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or anomalies with the airplane and noted that he should have increased the engine power during the landing approach.
Factual narrative
According to the pilot, he was conducting touch-and-go landings at his home airport. He stated that the flight controls felt "a little mushy" during approach for the first landing, and that "the airplane was more nose high than it should have been." He also stated that the airplane had a "high descent rate" and landed "flat with too much force." Post-accident inspection by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed substantial damage to the right wing spar. The pilot further stated that there were no mechanical malfunctions or anomalies of the airplane, and that he "should have added power" during the landing approach.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N888GK
- Reported as
- Kilishek George T RV-8
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 80006
- Airframe hours
- 455
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Steele Jeffrey B
- Registered owner
- Steele Jeffrey B
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 13, 2010
- Departed
- 80C · Yadkinville, NC
- Destination
- 80C · Yadkinville, NC
- Airport
- 80C · Lone Hickory Airport, runway 16, 2,000 × 60 ft, grass/turf
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 60
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- September 24, 2009
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 617 total · 138 in this make and model · 572 as pilot in command · 10 in the last 90 days · 4 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 40° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 3,200 ft broken
- Temperature
- 82 °F, dew point 70 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.29 inHg
- Observed at
- SVH, 22 nm away
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on October 18, 2010, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 382 KB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.